Union Songs

Tony Abbott's ukulele : Not quite Alleluia

Words John Warner©John Warner 2011
Music courtesy Leonard Cohen Alleluia

I'd like to write a Cohen song
Turgid, mysterious and long,
A complex composition to regale ye,
With cosmic concepts, dark and deep,
But I might send you all to sleep,
And so I'll sing of Tony's ukulele.
Ukulele, Ukulele, Ukulele Ukule-le-le.

Tony Abbot's quite a bloke,
He likes to keep the worker's broke,
And keep the corporate profits rising daily.
His brain's one big hot air balloon,
And now, to play the bosses' tune,
Our Tony's learned to play the ukulele.
Ukulele, Ukulele, Ukulele Ukule-le-le.

He could have learned to play the flute,
He's more inclined towards the lute,
Admittedly the looting suits him gaily.
We're none of us inclined to praise
His politics and power plays,
Why praise him when he plays the ukulele?
Ukulele, Ukulele, Ukulele Ukule-le-le.

Clive Palmer gave him chords to play,
On the Greenies' source of pay,
And how the Left is funded CIA-ley.
But hear the Pentagon deny
That petty and appalling lie,
Tony, lad, stick to your ukulele.
Ukulele, Ukulele, Ukulele Ukule-le-le.

But let him play it night and day
Till all his party turns away,
A-weeping and a-crying "Waly waly".
Then with their Liberal brains on fire
They'll join a bold trade union choir
And drown the sound of Tony's ukulele.
Ukulele, Ukulele, Ukulele Ukule-le-le.

Optional verses

In royal performance I foresee,
Him play before her Majesty,
And maybe he can stop by the Old Bailey,
The Judge can give him 14 years,
And Tony can reduce to tears,
Old Dartmoor's convicts with his Ukulele

So Tony, now we've got this far,
We'd like to tell you what you are,
And living with the likes of you's no ceilidh,
You louse, you lummox, lout and liar,
You vicious, verminous vampire,
You slimy specious serpent, YOU kulele

Notes

Many thanks to John Warner for permission to add this song to the Union Songs collection.

John writes:
This is a new one which went down a treat in performance at the National. About fifty or so choir people singing it with ukuleles! We also had signs which said "save the ukulele". Since Tony Abbott started playing one, they've become an endangered species.

Visit John's website at http://www.folkjohnwarner.com

Find more John Warner songs on this site. Visit John on the web at: www.folkjohnwarner.com

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